Unknown body unearthed by flood to be buried in new grave

DENHAM SPRINGS - An unidentified body unearthed by an August flood in Louisiana will be buried in a newly marked grave.

News outlets report the City Council voted Tuesday to allow the reinternment of the body in a single plot at the Denham Springs Memorial Cemetery after efforts to identify the man were unsuccessful.

Mayor Gerard Landry says six to eight of the 20 caskets that floated away from their vaults couldn't be easily identified, but forensic experts were able to identify all the bodies besides one that was deceased for about 50 years.

Landry says a bone will be taken from the remains and held by police in hopes of later identifying the body. A casket and a gravesite maker have been donated for the burial.